Convention reports index. See convention coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What conventions do B9 robot builders attend? WonderFest in Louisville, Kentucky is the most important annual gathering for B9 robot builders, held typically on a Memorial Day weekend in late May. Five to fifteen full-size or near-full-size robots appear at WonderFest in a typical year. B9 builders also appear at regional science fiction conventions throughout the year, coordinated through the B9 Builders Club.

What is unique about WonderFest compared to general sci-fi conventions? WonderFest is organized around making rather than consuming — the display competition, dealer room, and floor conversations are between builders rather than between celebrities and fans. It fills a hotel convention space rather than a convention center, keeping the atmosphere more like a community gathering. Prop builders find the conversations about technique and materials deeper than at general genre conventions.

What should a B9 builder bring to their first convention? Reference lists of outstanding build questions, in-progress photographs to invite specific technical feedback, budget for specialty materials in the dealer room, and business cards for post-convention networking are all recommended. First-time attendees who are active builders — even early in a project — receive substantive help from experienced builders who have solved the same problems.

What convention coverage is available on this site? This site’s conventions section covers WonderFest Louisville with a general guide covering what to expect and how to prepare, the WonderFest 2005 report from a notable year for the B9 builder community, and the WonderFest 2025 report covering recent community developments in electronics integration and reference documentation.

Further Reading from Authoritative Sources

  • B9 robot builders — Wikipedia’s Robot (Lost in Space) article provides authoritative background on the prop and community that the convention coverage is built around.
  • Lost in Space — Wikipedia’s Lost in Space article provides authoritative series history and cultural impact context that explains the ongoing convention community decades after the show ended.